


Days Gone By

by knaps_docx



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Angst is Zuko and Zuko is Angst, Coffee Shops, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Kissing, Love Confessions, Post-Canon, Unrequited Love, Zuko being Zuko, aang you could've had a bad bitch - noncommittal - help you with your bending just a little, mention of hair loopies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 19:00:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20376517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knaps_docx/pseuds/knaps_docx
Summary: To scorose, because this work wouldn't be in existence without her.





	Days Gone By

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scorose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorose/gifts).

> To scorose, because this work wouldn't be in existence without her.

“What do you mean you want to get coffee?” Zuko scoffed turning his gaze upon Katara as she defiantly stood in front of him. Her hands were perched on her hips as though she meant business. Her lips formed into a tight line. Try as he might, he couldn’t hold her blue stare for long as his eyes crossed across her tan skin where the slightest blush could be detected on the tips of her defined cheeks. Her brown hair rolled in thick tendrils down her back even though half of her immense mane was pulled into a low bun. Her signature ‘hair loopies’ as Sokka had called them were tucked precariously into her bun and it had always accented her face in the best way. As the Avatar’s girl, she couldn’t be described as anything worldly any longer. The war was over. Aang won the girl. And though Zuko changed for the better, he couldn’t dismiss the simple fact that he felt he’d been cheated.

“Coffee. Do I need to spell it out for you?” she snapped curtly.

“Why?” he asked, disregarding the icy tone she used as he crossed his arms over his chest. The red fabric he was garbed in folded underneath the pressure. For some reason his hands tightened around his arms just above the elbow. The slight detection of pain grounded him.

Katara rolled her eyes dramatically before tucking her arm through his. Instead of a gentle nudge in the direction she wanted them to go, she practically pulled him down the street bound and determined to reach her destination together. “B-Because I want coffee,” she sputtered keeping her face turned forward. He couldn’t understand her. Not that he could understand his sister either. Women as a whole were complex beyond reasoning. Aang forgave him with no questions asked. Maybe it was the monk in him. But Katara always displayed a cold front when it came to Zuko, and though he helped her find the man who killed her mother, it never fully disappeared.

“Okay, okay,” Zuko sighed, catching up to her lighting fast pace so they could walk side by side. It didn’t slow her down though, and it definitely didn’t alter her strange mood. Still refusing to look at him, she pulled him down the street and over a few blocks before they were standing in front of one of the girliest coffee shops he’d ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on.

“What in the hell?” Zuko hissed under his breath. Knowing he was being far too overdramatic; he couldn’t find it in him to hold back the initial shock. The place was far too garish to attract anyone who wanted to preserve their name, or what little was left after the war.

Katara chose to ignore his brash comment or simply didn’t hear him. She jerked him forward and found a cozy round table for two in the back corner. One of the shop’s lizard-cats rolled against Zuko’s leg. Gripping the edges of the frilly metal table, he bit his cheek. This was not his idea of fun. Not by any means.

The server, a younger girl too happy not to have secrets, took their order. After a quick scan of the menu, Zuko chose to order his coffee black as to make sure they weren’t going to taint it with something frilly and useless. Katara ordered a latte. His eyes gravitated toward her again. She was petting the lizard-cat still hanging around Zuko’s legs. Its almond shaped, golden eyes were closed as it purred against her touch. A forked tongue slid across its jaws when the server arrived with their order.

“One coffee, black and a latte. Is there anything else I can get you two lovebirds?”

“_No_,” Zuko spat snatching his coffee and drinking it furiously. It seared his tongue ushering a cough as the liquid nearly expelled from his lips. Choking down the mouthful in one go, he turned his head away and wheezed for air. Katara regarded him curiously as the waiter chuckled as she dismissed herself. When Zuko composed himself, Katara’s gaze was steadily watching him. For a brief moment, their eyes met. Gold to azure.

For some reason, Zuko spat, “How’s Aang?” He felt ridiculous the moment the question left his tongue. He couldn’t resist. Katara and Aang were a thing. Clearly she didn’t have feelings for the wayward prince of the Fire Nation. That was preposterous.

Immediately, her eyes were downcast. “Oh, he’s fine.” The words were soft, yet distant. Already beating himself over asking such a stupid question to begin with, her response doubled his regret.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...I know you two are sort of dating and...I’m sorry.” His half-assed apology seemed to evaporate in the strange air between them. Bringing his hand to his forehead, Zuko sighed. “Why do I still ruin everything?” It wasn’t a question he wanted Katara to answer, but he couldn’t hold back the feelings burning inside. Even now, no matter how hard he tried, he still broke the delicate balance between the two of them. Aang and Sokka would’ve laughed him off in a heartbeat. Even Topf would’ve slapped his shoulder so hard he’d hit the ground before a round of laughter was shared between them.

But not Katara.

She took a delicate sip of her latte before placing her mug back in the matching saucer. Even that was decorated with soft pink painted flowers. The small design made from the steamed milk that was poured into her cup had been demolished by the touch of her lips. Briefly, Zuko envied it, but the thought was quick to disappear as she cleared her throat.

“We’re not dating.”

He stared at her as her words slowly processed within his mind. “Not dating…” he mindlessly repeated.

“I wasn’t sure how I felt about him. So much had changed over the last several months. The war...you.”

“M-Me?” Zuko stuttered again, reaching for his own mug to hide the red tinge to his skin. Thankful his scar covered the left half of his face, he still wished he would have worn his hair down to hide the other half. Her scrutiny was unbearable. The small blush wouldn’t go without notice.

“I’ve been trying to find some solace within myself and I found that maybe Aang was acting more like a crutch than I intended. I didn’t want to burden him any longer, though I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way.” A sigh slipped passed her lips as she took another sip of her drink. When it was safely back in its saucer, she spoke again. “I’ve been feeling this way for a while now. Something about the way you look at me sends this electric spark across my skin. I can’t ignore it. And though I’ve tried, something keeps bringing me back to you.”

Zuko forced himself to remain as still as possible in order to listen to what she had to say. This was no ordinary conversation between them. This had the possibility of being a life-changing juncture in both of their lives, and he knew that if he didn’t hang onto every word that came out of her mouth, he’d live to regret it for the rest of his life.

“Even now,” she whispered, the blush from earlier much more evident on her cheeks.

Zuko couldn’t say what drove him forward, but he propelled himself from his chair and brought his lips to hers. The lizard-cat scattered with the sudden movement. The slightest taste of her latte could be detected, but they were much softer than he imagined. When he broke apart, his eyes opened partially to meet her wide-eyed gaze. Promptly sitting down, he gripped at the edges of his chair. Flustered beyond words, he refused to look her in the eyes. How could he do that to her? She was clearly distraught after he brought Aang up and now this? Wanting to disappear into the floor, he opened his mouth to apologize once more.

A finger brushed against his lips. “Don’t say it,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to apologize.” His eyes opened with shock, and Katara took the opportunity to take his slack lips with her own. Gently pressing against his mouth, Zuko could fully taste the remnants of her latte this time. In one simple act, she destroyed him. He didn’t even know how long he’d been earnestly waiting for something like this to happen, but now that he had a taste, he was certain he couldn’t go back.

Someone cleared their throat temporarily disabling the intense moment. Katara immediately sat back on her chair wiping at her lips. Her expression clearly stated the heated disarray they both felt. Zuko was lost for words, stunned into a deep silence. An awkward moment passed between the three. Zuko desperately wanted the world around them to evaporate leaving him and Katara alone, even if it was only for a few seconds.

“Can I interest you in some dessert?” the waiter asked. Zuko could see the smallest sparkle in her eyes. A single word connected in his mind.

“Sure,” he spat, snatching the menu from her hands with a little too much force. 

“I’ll give you some time to think about that then,” the waiter said, her smile never faltering, before stepping away from the table.

Hiding behind the menu, Zuko couldn’t read the words in front of him. His hands were shaking and his thoughts flying a million miles a second. A soft touch brushed against his skin that gently guided his arms back to the table. Just like the smallest bit of pain earlier, Katara’s touch calmed him. In an instant, he was composed enough to meet her gaze.

“I love chocolate,” was all she said. A genuine smile curled the lips he’s just kissed. And at that moment he knew that everything was going to be alright. She’s let him kiss him without boundaries or immediately raising a cold front. Unsure how long this connection between them was going to last, Zuko waited with bated breath as his hand gripped hers a little tighter. How he managed to receive something so genuine was beyond him. Not wanting to ruin this small moment again, questioning it was not an option. 

“Chocolate it is then,” he responded, a smile of his own finding its place comfortably on his lips. It was rather funny that, for the first time since the war ended, this was the happiest he’d felt. His actions were comfortable. He wasn’t worried about how others felt about their slightly lewd behavior. Other than the dubious server who seemed to know a little too much. In fact, it was the opposite. Feeding off of her strength, he found it in himself to grow beyond his weaknesses. He wondered if this was what it felt like to be Aang. He met Katara’s gaze again. It warmed a portion in his chest, something, up to that moment, only his uncle could do. And he knew this was much more than a little coffee date at a stupid, frilly shop. This was a future with Katara budding into existence.

So when the waiter returned to take their order, Zuko didn’t waste a single moment deciding what to get. Wanting to spend as much time as he could with someone he knew could help unlock his happiness within, he ordered one chocolate mousse cake with two forks and regretted nothing as he scooted his chair closer to Katara, leaned in, and took her lips again the moment the waiter turned her back.


End file.
